Drain Tile Testing

Commonly asked Questions?

Question: What is the purpose of a drain tile test?

Answer: The purpose of a drain tile test is to determine whether drain tile replacement is warranted and if so, how much drain tile needs replacing.

Question: Why do I need a drain tile test? My home inspector or basement consultant recommended that I get a drain tile test but I never had water coming into my basement so why do I need a test?

Answer: A drain tile test is recommended when a good home inspector or basement consultant sees evidence of possible problems and would like further testing done. Like your doctor when your cholesterol levels are high they might want do further testing on yourself to make sure you don’t fall over dead from a heart attack. Your drain tiles are just as important to make sure you foundation does not come crashing into your basement.

Questions: Why are the drain tiles so Important?

Answer: If you have clogged drain tiles you could possibly have catastrophic failure of your basement walls. This in turn would be more costly to fix than your drain tile system. Your drain tiles function is to keep the water pressure from building up outside of your foundation so your basement walls do not cave in do the hydrostatic water pressure on the outside of the foundation walls.

DRAIN TILE TEST STANDARDS WAFRP (Wisconsin Assocation of Foundation Repair Profesionals)

A DRAIN TILE TEST

Leakage/seepage on floor
Wet/damp wall blocks near floor
Staining/efflorescence on wall blocks near floor
Iron ochre, tree roots, or mineral/calcium deposits in sump crock or at palmer valve.
Wetness around floor cracks.
Not all conditions shall warrant a drain tile test

LOCATION, SIZE AND NUMBER OF TEST HOLES

The foundation repair contractor or foundation consultant should open a minimum of 3 holes to test interior tiles
Each interior hole should be at least 12″ x 12″
The ideal location of interior test holes should be:
In or near corners
At sites where home owner noted leakage
Directly under windows (location of bleeders)
The exterior drain tile test depth is recommended to be within 1-foot above the exterior drain tile. This test is also referred as an outside “spud test”.
An outside drain tile test is warranted if blockage of outside drain tile is suspected to be clogged due to signs of leakage.
Test four feet from bleeder if location is known.
At least two test spud sites are recommended per wall(s) in question.

TEST PROCEDURES

Homeowner should remove personal property at all test site locations
Open hole in floor, expose inside of drain tile
Inspect drain tile to determine degree of obstruction if any
Introduce water into hole to determine if it drains
Insert running hose into drain tile in both directions if possible to point of blockage
Clean out bleeders, if found
Insert running hose in bleeders to determine disbursement to exterior tile
Check functionality of palmer valve or sump crock
Drill at least (1) hole in block, where floor is opened up at a wet area in question, on inside to check if wall is holding water.

EVALUATION OF NEED FOR REPAIR

Based upon test results foundation repair contractor or foundation consultant should consider:

Degree of blockage (less than 30% marginal, more than 50% serious)
Amount of water sitting in tile
Condition of drain tile itself
Actual water flow through inside tile
Seasonal conditions
Ground water levels at time
Special situations (ochre, roots, mineral deposits)
History and pattern of leakage from homeowner, if available
Water leakage out of blocks
Spacing and placement of cement drain tile
Material around drain tile

Note: If a dry season prevails and/or there is at least 2 to 4 inches of clear gravel under the floor, the use of an air compressor is recommended to be used with water to get water to flow from test hole to test hole. Due to the severity of the leak, an optional spud test may be recommended to test the outside tile.

REPORT TO HOMEOWNER:

Drain tile evaluation requires rendering an opinion and reasonable minds may differ
Foundation repair contractor or foundation consultant shall report areas of blockage and specify what sections of drain tile need repair in writing with a diagram
Foundation repair contractor or foundation consultant shall not misrepresent condition of drain tile for purposes of persuading homeowners to purchase repairs
Foundation repair contractor or foundation consultant may give homeowner option of replacing more drain tile than is necessary after explaining present conditions

REPAIR OF HOLE

Remove debris, damaged tile and old stone
Replace drain tile in hole with 3″ interior diameter perforated corrugated polyethylene drain tile (or Wisconsin Uniform Dwelling Code compliant)
Install approved drainage board on side of hole
Encase new tile with ¾” diameter filtering stone
Close hole with new cement unless homeowner elects to leave open for further inspection
In the event homeowner elects to leave hole open, foundation repair contractor or foundation consultant shall warn homeowner of risk of injury and possible flooding

PROHIBITED PRACTICES

A foundation repair contractor or foundation consultant shall not create blockage in drain tile to cause test to fail
A foundation repair contractor or foundation consultant shall not inform homeowner that open drain tile need replacement because they were placed too tight together or aren’t perfectly sloped
A foundation repair contractor or foundation consultant shall not make any material misrepresentations